An Empty Wilderness
by Cococreamandcoffee
Summary: Hermione Granger defies time to travel back to Tom Riddle's world. As she begins to fall in love with him, she wonders if even the darkest of souls can be redeemed. After all, true love can conquer anything, can't it?


An empty wilderness

"Hermione, you can't leave me…you can't!" _He _begged, voice hoarse and tears shining in his forest green eyes. Such beautiful eyes…When I first met him, I had wondered how anyone so _perfect_ could be so completely evil.

For there was no denying that Tom Riddle was the very epitome of malice and spite. Or so I had thought.

Dumbledore had sent me back, way back, to the world in which my arch-enemy lived. My mission was simple: Stop it all before it began. At first I had thought that Dumbledore wanted me to kill Tom, my heart now lurched at the idea, but, gradually, he let me in.

I started to see Tom for what he really was-a corrupted soul. _But not irredeemable_, my mind had whispered to me.

Yet, as I thought I was beginning to change Tom, he, in fact, was changing me. He was cruel and manipulative, but, blinded by love, I couldn't, _wouldn't_ see it.

Until yesterday. When the news reached me of Myrtle's death, my heart had wept. Not just for Myrtle, a sweet, lonely, lost girl-but for Tom as well. I hadn't changed anything, Tom had fooled me just like he had fooled everyone else.

And so I had to leave, before I lost myself completely. Harry…tears blurred my vision, I couldn't go back, or should I say forward, to where I once had lived. For my home did not exist anymore. A bleak, empty wilderness stretched out before me.

"I have to Tom. I have to go. I should never have come, I-"

"No, don't say that-you mustn't!" He shook me softly. I extricated myself from his grasp, ignoring the look of hurt in his eyes. I hated to hurt him, yet, a part of me wanted him to feel as much pain as I did. As Harry and Ron and everyone else whom he was going to hurt or kill in some way would.

"Give me one reason why I should stay." I spoke quietly.

Tom didn't reply for what seemed like an age. "You know that I can't tell you what you want to hear. I had to kill her-being weak-"

"You would have been merciful!" I screamed at him. "Tell me Tom, do you truly feel no remorse for what you have done? A young girl has _died _because of you!" I began to sob, great, heaving sobs that shook my body. I sunk to the ground, head in my hands.

When had I stopped seeing Tom for who he really was? I looked up at Tom, at his beautiful eyes. But I did not see him, I saw Ron and Harry and everyone else I had betrayed by loving him.

Tom gathered me in his arms and I sobbed into his chest.

"You have lied to me all this time, Tom, you _tricked_ me." I whispered.

At this Tom breathed sharply. He turned my head so that I was staring directly at him. "No, Hermione. Not you, never you."

"But you have," I croaked, moving away from him. "You told me that the line between good and evil was not definite but blurred."

"It is," He answered, frowning.

"No Tom, it isn't. I thought that you were somewhere in the middle, but you're not. You're evil, truly evil and you're not even sorry about it."

He opened his mouth to speak. "No, let me finish. If it was me that had died because of the basilisk…would you feel sorry then?"

"I would never let that happen." He answered simply.

"But would you? Would you even care?"

"Of course, I would." He was frowning now, trembling with rage, sorrow-who could guess.

"Then why did you do it?"

"Slytherin's work-"

"Is not this. Murdering people…oh Tom." I shook my head, crying softly.

"No, don't pity me. I don't want your pity." He spat venomously.

"Then what do you want? For it isn't my love. I'm going to go now, Tom. I hope I never see you again." I whispered.

Tom's eyes widened with fear and he grasped my arm. I shook him off.

"Hermione, you don't understand. I-"

"Don't you dare tell me that! I have tried to understand for _seven_ months! Clearly, you don't want me to-

"No, listen. I…" He took a deep breath and continued, his voice strained. "I need you. More than I've ever needed anyone else. Please, don't leave." He finished, shaking.

"I have to. I'm losing my sense of morality, each day I'm with you it disappears a little bit more. You're bad for me, Tom. People like you and me…"I trailed off, not knowing how to end.

"We need each other." Tom finished, trying to sound strong. Didn't he know that I could see past all of that? That the charade he presented to the world was as transparent as glass to me? In that moment, my mind was made up. He would never trust me, never love me. In his mind, I was a possession to be owned. If I disappeared, then perhaps he feared the rest of his possessions would too.

I marched up to him, tears streaming down my face, and kissed him passionately. I put everything I had into that kiss, all my love and sorrow and hope and pain. I think Tom did too-telling me with actions what he would never be able to say with words.

Finally, we broke apart. I gazed at him sadly. "No, Tom. No we don't." The time turner worked its magic and I disappeared in a golden glow.

_If only _I had heard him cry out my name in agony as I disappeared before his eyes.

_If only _I had seen him collapse to the ground, the weight of his pain too much to bear.

_If only _I had heard him murmur the two infamous words, a burst of green light and then nothingness, as Tom Riddle left this world, hoping to be reunited with his love in the next.


End file.
